Customer Reviews

Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution

5 star:		(82)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I wrote a review of Dr. Bernstein's book in June of 2000. At that time, I had lost 15 pounds and had normalized my blood sugars using his regimen. Eighteen months later, I am still following his diet and routines. Most of the time my blood sugar is between 75 and 90 and my hemoglobin a1c is 4.6. I visited his office in ... and have had phone contact and occasional visits to his New York office since that time. (I live in Pittsburgh, PA) I have now lost over 55 pounds and kept it off. My cholesterol has improved so that it is normal to low normal. Dr. Bernstein also diagnosed a thyroid condition—which other doctors told me I did not have—and with treatment, I am now in the completely normal range of both T3 and T4 and my energy levels are normal for the first time in years. I do not find the lack of carbohydrates to be that much of a sacrifice, especially considering the damage that high blood sugars can cause. I have found food items that help make up for the lack of regular bread and potatoes (made by Ketogenics) that help when I am hungry for bread, but do not adversely affect my blood sugar. Dr. Bernstein is indeed available 24 hours a day. Last December, I awoke at 2 A.M. with severe vomiting and diarrhea—very serious for diabetics and I called his emergency number. He answered the phone, gave me excellent instructions, and had me contact him every few hours—through Christmas Day—until I had recovered somewhat. I wish doctors in my area would take his treatment and ideas more seriously because they do work. When I have attempted to add extra carbs to my diet, it ALWAYS raises my blood sugar to unacceptable levels (over 110). If I were to eat the diet recommended by the A.D.A., I would have severe problems with my blood sugar, which would in turn affect my cholesterol and my heart. I know because I used their diet and developed diabetes while on it. Low fat, high carb (and I ate mostly complex carbs—whole grains, beans, fruit, carrots, beets) and avoided foods considered to be unhealthy. I liked that food, but it certainly did not help my condition, and I quickly gained weight on it after initially losing weight. I have lost the weight on the Bernstein diet and have NOT regained it. The Bernstein program works for those who follow it. I am very, very grateful I found the book and I still highly recommend it to anyone who is diabetic, is likely to be one or who has a loved one who has the disease.

I do long range underwater cave exploration. I cannot afford *any* chance of hypoglycemic reactions, so I've tried to control diabetes w/ diet and exercise. I was loosing. My sugar was averaging 300, fasting at 190-215, peaks after 100% ADA recommended meals from 350-450. Exercising was becoming harder, if not impossible. Started the 0 carb diet on Wed morning. Its now Tue the following week. Fasting sugars are at 117, average is about 100, peaks at about 122. The first day, the average was down 100 points. Its been going down 10 every day since. I used to have to wait 1 or 2 days between 5 mile runs. Starting thr after the diet I did 2 a day. I've run every day since, sometimes twice a day, and have more energy. I think Dr. Bernstein has quite possibly extended my life by 20-40 years. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I had checked out every book on Diabetes Type 2 to try to stay off medications. The doctors, educators and dieticians were no help-none of them believed an obese woman could stay off meds with diet and exercise. I've done it for 2 years but now the numbers were creeping up there and they wanted to start me on glucophage. Dr. Bernstein's was the last book I read-I attacked the plan with zeal and in just 12 days had dropped my average blood sugars from 140 to 124! It was so easy-stay away from carbs-don't eat 60 grams per meal, make it 6 or 12 or 15. My doctor is astounded that I didn't need the rx she gave me. Dr. B. explained all about why I am high in the mornings and how to approach that. He explained about the fast sugars and the slow sugars, and gave me lots of options to try. All the rest of the world keeps telling me to eat more which just keeps driving my sugars higher. With Dr. B. I have found a way to stay off the meds AND I made it through the holiday season with beautiful sugar numbers when everyone else was soaring high. The book contained a lot of specific things I could try to keep those numbers down, not just the conventional drivel you see in every diabetic education course and dietician's plan. He has been on the plan himself for years, so the subject is close rather than just a bunch of #s. If you want to be encouraged to manage this disease yourself, this book is for you. The rest of the medical community won't even take 2 minutes to listen to me because I am overweight, they just plug me into a medication which I don't need. Dr. B. approaches it from the standpoint that you can lick this disease if you just put some effort into it. After a month on the plan, I've had great success controlling my blood sugars and my doc is happy my glycocelated hemoglobin dropped back to 6.5 this last time, thanks to Dr. Bernstein.

I am ordering the recent update of Dr. Bernstein's book because my 1997 version is worn out through the reading and re-reading of it by me and beloved family and friends. His first book defined the underlying causes of the problems I had experienced for nearly 20 years with so-called "normal" blood glucose levels, those measured by blood test in my yearly physical. Moreover, his explanations and descriptions explained my father's slow and devastating dying from Type II Diabetes. His advice and recommendations have altered for the best my mother's 30-year experience with Type II (as well as her HDL's, her blood pressure, her triglycerides). From being on the verge of several insulin shots a day, she has had her oral medications consistently reduced over the last 3 years; and, in particular, her increasing dementia has disappeared. At nearly 80, she is more healthy than at 50, and this book, with its explicit recommendations for diet and exercise and its explanations of the symptoms and causes of this most insidious of diseases, is the sole reason. Unrecognized by my other physicians, hyperinsulinemia began eating away at my own health more than 20 years ago, but thanks to my instituting Dr. Bernstein's blood testing methods and his diet and other recommendations, I may never even have to take oral medications, according to my present internist. (When I called Dr. Bernstein's clinic to get info about a glucometer, he himself answered the phone, well after 5 p.m.--I was speechless with astonishment. His personal recommendation then to me has helped not only me but at least three others directly!) This is a book by a most remarkable man and doctor, who truly can give the diabetic or those seriously at risk for diabetes the chance for quality of life and health that most other practitioners do not. Anyone who has the disease (or loves someone who has it) should spend the time in reading his book before losing eyesight, feet, legs, mental acuity, and more, all the ultimate results of failure to control diabetes.

This is a really great book, because it gave me a recipe for improving my diabetes! I was recently diagnosed as a Type I diabetic, and got very little help or education from my doctors on how to control this disease and avoid the terrible complications. Frustrated and scared, I reached out to this book (and others). I tried Dr. Bernstein's suggestions, including the low carb diet, and my insulin needs went way down and my blood sugar stays under 100 even after eating! I highly recommend other diabetics read this book and try it out. It takes discipline, but who wants to go blind or have a foot amputated? It's worth it. Good luck!

I would highly recommend this book to any diabetic, even those not interested in a low-carb eating plan, just for the extensive discussion of the interaction of insulin, food, and exersize.

I learned more from Bernstein in two weeks than I did in two years with doctors and dieticians. And if you have the fortitude to stick with Bernstein's eating plan--and it is not an easy lifestyle change--you will not only see your blood sugars stabilize at a much lower level, you will lose a lot of weight, and see see your cholesteral and triglycerides drop significantly.

His information on calculating the number of grams of carbohydrate needed to correct a hypo is the best explanation I have read anywhere, and he makes product recommendations without actually being in the business of selling any of them, which is refreshing. Any diabetic, any age, whether on insulin, pills, or no medications, can gain many years of complication-free healthy living.

Three years ago I was diagnosed with diabetes. I was like a walking Krispy Krem donut. After folliwng Dr. Bernsten's advise, watching my carbs, doing my blood tests several times a day, following an exercise program, I lost 35 pounds. Last month when I went for my checkup, my test showed I was not diabetic. I know I am still diabetic, it's just I have it under control to the point my blood sugar level does not show I am diabetic. I bought 5 books when I was found to be diabetic, none of them gave the insight and understanding that this book did. Very easy reading, easy to understand, and gives you more of an understanding then most of the doctors you will encounter in your diabetic travels.

I am a 58-year-old teacher, who was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in March of this year. My mother had heart disease and diabetes, my father, high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. I was involved in a national, 4-year Trials of Hypertension study, in a group that was to lose weight by following a low-fat diet. I religiously followed one and increased my exercise to close to an hour a day. I even became a vegetarian. I didn't mind, because I have always loved bread and high-carb foods and cutting the fat wasn't much of a sacrifice. I did need to eat fairly often and I would be frantically hungry if I had to go without a snack. However, my blood pressure crept up until I had to go on a beta blocker. Although I had lost about 30 lbs. over a two year period, I gained every last bit, plus about 15 more. Then I got the diagnoses I knew was coming. So, I went to the internet and started researching diabetes, found Dr. Bernstein's page, read the chapters on the web, ordered the book, got a glucometer and set out using his diet. Immediately, my blood sugar normalized. I never get hungry between meals and my extreme craving for bread and sweets has gone away. I've lost about 15 pounds in 5 or 6 weeks and my energy level has increased 10-fold. I look at bread and cake now and think, "Rat poison." That helps, and also, giving up the carbs is a lot easier than giving up my eyesight or my feet.

Plus, I called Dr. Bernstein's office for info on the glucometer and got good advice. I called to see about making an appointment and HE ANSWERED THE PHONE. I'm impressed.

I am writing this as I purchase my second copy of this book. I gave the first one to my doctor. It has helped me to lose 40 of my 70 pounds of excess fat and to go off Glipizide(a sulfanyurea, a bad treatment, as I learned from this book). My blood sugars are now usually between 78 and 110 or less. My peripheral neuropathy has reversed itself. You get a detailed and realistic understanding of this disease and how to avoid its terrible complications. I especially recommend it to those who are not insulin dependent, the techniques needed are less controversial, and your life will be normal! For those who are insulin dependent, you will have to learn how to change your diet and insulin regime to feel normal, Dr. Bernstein does, he is himself a type 1 diabetic.

I am a physician specializing in metabolic medicine. I am a diabetic educator and lecture frequently at various physician conferences. I am in awe of the masterpiece Dr. Bernstein has put together. Never has there been a work so thorough, accurate, understandable and most importantly, effective. He's encompassed the entire topic so effectively that no question is left unanswered. This could only be done by someone who is not only well educated but also experienced and passionate about the topic. There is no doubt that this book will save thousands of lives. For the first time in history, a diabetic who follows Dr. Bernstein's advice will have the opportunity to live beyond the average life expectancy as he or she will be far healthier than the average non-diabetic.This book is an essential component to the library of every diabetic and every physician who cares for diabetics.